


Sly Cooper V: The Master Thieves

by Sleepy_Bed_Bunny



Category: Sly Cooper (Video Games)
Genre: Action/Adventure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:28:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22851007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sleepy_Bed_Bunny/pseuds/Sleepy_Bed_Bunny
Summary: After Sly had disappeared on Le Paradox's Blimp, everything seemed to fall apart. Sure the world still turned, time was normal, and there were clouds in the sky. At first, it seems like they'll never see their favorite cunning Cooper...Until one day, a stranger opens up the Cooper Exhibit in the Egypt Museum of Natural History. Who opened the exhibit? What does this have to do with the Gang? Why is Penelope still sending postcards? Those questions will be answered in...Sly Cooper V: The Master Thieves
Relationships: Sly Cooper/Carmelita Fox
Comments: 6
Kudos: 24





	1. Prologue: Thick As Thieves

**Author's Note:**

> My first Sly Cooper Fic, though I have written other works on other forums and whatnot. I hope you all enjoy, and let's get this show on the road!

This time of year would normally be freezing it was January after all, but in Egypt, it was always a dry heat, even at night. In the streets of Egypt, a blue-haired fox clad in a orange trench coat walked.

She held onto a black briefcase, making her way down the streets of Cairo. Her face was obscured by a large white hat, and it wasn't long until she came across a run down building having **'Blue Rose Flowers'**. The sign was hand painted, and the figure gave a rather forceful knock on the front door.

_"Hang on! Jeez, who knocks at three in the morning?"_

There was the sound of locks being unlocked, deadbolts being unbolted, and it swung open slowly to reveal a green shelled turtle clad in a blue brown shirt and without his glasses. It took him a few moments to put his glasses back on, and he nearly jumped out of his wheelchair at the sight.

"Who the...Inspector Fox?!" The white hat came off, revealing the Inspector.

**_Inspector Carmelita Fox, Interpol's Finest_ **

"Of course, who else would it be?" Raising the briefcase, she handed it to the terrapin techno-tycoon. "I figured you might want to see this." Taking the briefcase, the turtle welcomed her inside before turning on the lights.

It revealed a somewhat messy dining room, a few old dishes, a t-shirt thrown over the back of a chair, and a few empty cans of soda.

Rolling inside, the turtle put on a thick pair of glasses and welcomed the Inspector.

He placed the black briefcase on a table, flipping it open to find the floor plans of the Egypt Museum of Natural History. Specifically, the opening of a new Cooper Exhibit, featuring the mummies of Slytunkhamen I, II, and III.

That was certainly...Strange, who would have knowledge about the Slytunkhamen Family Tombs? Those were hidden so well that even _he_ didn't know where they were.

"Well, this is...How'd they even find Slytunkhamen's tomb?" Scratching his head, the turtle turned away from Carmelita as he rolled out of the room. "I'll give Murray a call, this is too strange to be true." He put on a ballistic vest, shined his glasses, and put on his trademark hat. "Carmelita, I don't want to sound rude, but Murray and I are going to look into this. you should-"

"You're not going anywhere." Carmelita's voice was harsh, yet commanding.

"But-"

"Let me finish Bentley," There was a smile on her face, however small. "You're not going anywhere, _without me_." Her turtle companion let out a breath, and he readied himself for this operation. 

It was time to get back into the game, to be the brains of the Cooper Gang.

_**Bentley, The Brains** _

Before anything else could happen, Bentley needed to test Carmelita...In the Hazard Room.

* * *

**Episode 0 - Prologue**

**Bentley, And The Gang In...**

_**Thick As Thieves** _

* * *

**Hazard Room - Cairo, Egypt**

...

Carmelita found herself in a dingy little elevator, with dull steel walls and a sickly yellow light above her. There was a dull hum as the Inspector and Bentley rode down into the Hazard Room, which turned out to be a large, empty room beneath the safe house. She was currently more interested in the red device in her hands, a gift from Bentley.

It was a dark red, and seemed to be a mix of binocular and communications device. "Bentley, if you don't mind me asking, what is this?"

"That is one of my best creations, the Binocucom, a digital imaging and communications device." Carmelita looked through the Binocucom, testing it out before they got to the Hazard Room. "It can take photos, ping holographic markers, and even provide two-way communications!" 

Hearing a ping, the elevator door opened to what the Inspector assumed was the Hazard Room. "This is the Hazard Room One of the many we have in Safe Houses across the globe." Bentley gestured, showing a large steel room with a high ceiling. "In order to prepare you for the Museum Heist, you're gonna have to run through a few tests." 

"Is this really necessary? I'm a trained Interpol Officer, not some cadet." Crossing her arms, the Inspector felt like something was missing. "And besides, shouldn't your friend Murray be here?"

"He's in Ireland for a wrestling tourney, he'll be here tomorrow on the first flight to Cairo." Leaving the room, Bentley began talking on Carmelita's Binocucom. 

_"Okay Carmelita, I know Interpol uses a system of holographic markers for tracking criminals There should be a button marked 'R3' on the side, ping it."_ Doing as the turtle said, Carmelita pressed the button, revealing an orange marker in front of her.

With that done, Bentley dropped boxes around the room, making it look like a pair of four simple buildings. "Okay Bentley, what do I do now?"

 _"I've placed four Holographic Markers on the rooftops, you know what to do."_ Sighing, she began moving through the Hazard Room. Jumping up to the first rooftop in a single bound, Carmelita made it to the first marker with ease. _"That's one down, three more to go!"_ Leaping to the building opposite of her, she landed with grace and ease.

Reaching the final marker, she felt twirled her Shock Pistol. "Do you have anything else? I feel like I'm about to fall asleep here." 

There was an impish laugh coming from Bentley's control room, and the room cleared. Two platforms dropped down, each bearing a projector on the bottom of it and looking worn. Jumping onto one of the platforms, Carmelita watched as the floor was covered in a red energy field. Several targets appeared, dressed in old purple coats and made from rough burlap.

"...Target practice?"

 _"More than target practice Inspector, welcome to the Bentley School of Thievery!"_ Carmelita chuckled quietly, Bentley hadn't changed at all. _"Before we **really** get into it, I need to see if your aim is sharp as your tongue." _The seven targets began moving, and Carmelita raised her Shock Pistol.

Firing off an experimental shot, the first target burst into flame. Switching targets, she fired three blasts of shocking blasts. Three targets went down, and she continued with the rest. Soon, the opposing platform held only burning dummies and scorch marks. The opposing platform was cleared, and a large stack of boxes shove its way between her and the newly replaced platform.

There was a bit of static as Bentley activated the radio once more. _"Okay Carmelita, as Sly is currently MIA, you'll be our field operative for this operation Though of course, we won't be stealing anything."_ There was a small opening at the bottom of the boxes, and Carmelita guessed what she needed to do. 

"You want me, to climb through vents?"

 _"If the need arises, it's better to be prepared than be caught off guard."_ Sighing, Carmelita began crawling through the vents while hoping that the boxes above her didn't drop. Once she was out on the other end, the boxes were removed and the energy field was shut down. _"Now while I know you're averse to pickpocketing, you are however a master of close combat in addition to slinging shock blasts."_

The Inspector followed along, watching as the room rearranged itself for this part of the training.

There were three targets, each to test out her combat skills. _"I know you didn't get much of a chance to perfect your stealth combat, but I hear Interpol has modified your Shock Pistol with a Shock Tether?"_

"Exactly, I just knock my target into the air, then latch onto them with the Tether." Carmelita explained, activating said tether. A small silver cord popped out from underneath the Shock Pistol's barrel, sparking with electricity. "Not only can I use it to grapple criminals, I can use it to hook onto things like Sly."

Demonstrating her skills, Carmelita knocked the first dummy into the air with a kick between its fake legs. With the dummy skyward, she shot the Shock Tether at it before slamming it down behind her.

There was a round of applause from Bentley, and the technological genius let her continue. Carmelita seemed to enter a trance-like state, almost as if she was switching over to another form of combat all-together. The next few dummies didn't even know what hit them, as Carmelita's shock tether and fists took them down to earth.

_"That was amazing Carmelita! And just in time, Murray just boarded his flight for Cairo I'll call you the second he gets home, right now I need to make a few calls."_

With her time in the Hazard Room done, Carmelita twirled her Shock Pistol back into its holster and left with a smile. Training was surprisingly therapeutic, who would've thought? 

But as she left, she thought of this operation. Would she The shining Inspector of Interpol put it all on the line for Sly?


	2. Prologue: Thick As Thieves - The Tomb's Treasure

**Cairo National Airport, Egypt - 5:30 AM**

**I**

**...**

**I**

**1 Day Until The Museum Heist**

* * *

...

As an airplane landed, it wasn't long until all passengers were cleared for getting off. The first one off was a large, burly looking hippo wearing a blue wrestling shirt and red mask. He was humming a tune as he reclaimed his luggage, and walking out of the terminal with a newfound determination. He held onto a large briefcase filled with gear, gizmos, and whatever trinkets and awards he's claimed over his wrestling career.

He came across a familiar blue and white van, taken with him during his trip to Egypt. 

Unlocking the back of the van, he threw his luggage in and went to the front seat of the van. Before he could start driving, there was a ringing on his Binocucom, and he picked it up with a smile.

"You've reached 'The Murray', what's up?"

**_Murray, the Muscle_ **

There was a familiar nasally voice on the other end, and Murray recognized it immediately. _"Murray! Right on schedule, how have you been?"_

"Pretty great, nearly fought 'The Ferocious Feline Flanagan' in Dublin, but you called first." There was a minor scuffle on the other end, and Carmelita took over the line with an unknown eagerness.

_"You were about to fight Global Heavyweight Felix Flanagan?!"_

"Heck yeah! Guy seems pretty cool, and I'll talk all about it later." Bidding goodbye, the herculean hippo turned the ignition and made his way to the Cooper Hideout in Cairo. 

Driving down these streets brought back memories of the Clockwerk Heist, and that time they returned the Star of Egypt back to its rightful owner. A lot of memories were made here, some good, some bad, and others average. It wasn't long until his van was parked out in front of the Safe House, a dusty old, ramshackle piece of work that needed a new coat of paint.

It was good to be back.

Seeing the door open, he was greeted by the amusing sight of Carmelita and Bentley watching one of his wrestling matches. "Greetings, the Murray has returned from his journey!" He struck a heroic pose, arms flexing and a smile on his face. "Now, what's this I'm hearing about a Sly Exhibit?"

Wheeling over, Bentley darkened the room as he dropped a projector on a nearby table. The TV was turned off, and it was time to go over the plan.

"First off, it's the recovered artifacts of Slytunkhamen I, his son, and his grandson." Three mummies appeared on the first slide, each bearing a variant of their own Cooper Cane. They were wearing ornate golden masks, showing a calm, peaceful gaze as they enjoyed eternal rest. "Slytunkhamen I and II under mysterious circumstances, and III was left crippled in the last years of his life."

Another picture popped up, this time of Slytunkhamen III's walking cane and engravings showing a large eagle's shadows.

"Now here's the weird thing Slytunkhamen never left a map to his family tomb, nor were their any records of if his descendants were buried with him."

There was a bit of confusion, but Carmelita seemed to have some idea. "So you're saying that they should've remained unknown?"

Nodding, Bentley continued on as he pulled up a picture of the archaeologist who discovered the tomb. A large, bright gray wolf wearing a large cloak suited to the heated deserts of Egypt. 

"This is Nero Augustine, Italy's number one Historian." Pictures showing a younger Nero discovering Egyptian Artifacts, digging up remains of Celtic Warriors in Scotland, and restoring lost Victorian Treasures.

"But even with his incredible track record, not even he would know the location of Slytunkhamen." The slideshow changed to another figure, this time a familiar face.

It was Penelope, but she had changed a lot about her appearance. She was wearing a black suit and golden tie, her hair was let down, and she had a devilish smile on her face as she was posted on the cover of _Technology Today._

"This is Penelope, or as the public knows her as; Tech Tycoon Priscilla Knightly." What showed up next was startling, as it showed Penelope opening up a weapons factory in France. "Worryingly, she's begun developing Defense Contracts for Militaries around the world." A few examples of these contracts showed up, heavy tanks for the United States, advanced fighters for Holland, and lord knows what else. 

The slides switched back to the museum, showing one exhibit in particular. "Recently, Penelope sent me a post card with this exhibit as the centerpiece; the subject? A rock with the Cooper Emblem, and S.C Engraved on it." The rock was titled 'S.C - Unknown Traveler', and it seemed like a trap. "And yes, I know what you're all thinking.

"It's a trap, and the rock is the bait." Murray thought, cracking his knuckles. "Is that the real deal or is it just a fake?" 

Bentley pulled up a picture of a Augustine, having taken some pictures from the wolf's archaeological dig site. "Nero had filmed his descent into the site exactly four minutes, five seconds after it was unearthed." With that said, Bentley began dolling out tasks for the various members of the Cooper Gang...And Carmelita.

Carmelita would be their eyes and ears on the inside, she'd get close to watch the exhibits, and to find out where the S.C Rock was located. With that done, she'd mark it down on the map for recovery. Bentley would be the one to do the actual recovery Granted, his first objective was to knock out the security system from within the museum's basement...Just like the Clockwerk Job. 

Bentley's job was simple, shut down the security via overloading the power grid. With the power out, he could sneak in to steal the rock.

Murray was to wait out in the alley behind the Museum, in the (disguised) Cooper Van. It had to be painted over so Penelope wouldn't suspect them, but otherwise Murray had the easiest job (barring Carmelita's search and mark) of the team.

With everything said and yet to be done, the Cooper Gang hoped that they would have Sly in their grasp.

* * *

**Thick As Thieves**

**...**

**The Cairo Heist**

**...**

**6:45 PM** ****

* * *

"Can't believe I'm doing this." Carmelita muttered under her breath, weaving through the crowd. The museum was alive with the murmur of high class socialites and the various guards, all clad in black and white uniforms.

 _"You say something Inspector? Kind of hard to hear you from down here."_ Saying it was nothing, Carmelita kept making her way through the crowd. She had checked the last exhibit, finding only the mummies and some artifacts. Right now she was heading to another exhibit, holding some of the lesser artifacts found in the eastern wing.

Finally breaking free from the crowd, she found herself staring down two guards, both carrying flashlights. Both were large, pointy eared hounds. They reminded Carmelita of the hounds in Venice, working underneath Don Octavio.

Keeping a hand on their sidearms, they relaxed when Carmelita showed off her Interpol Badge. "Interpol Covert Affairs, I've been tasked with security." 

They exchanged a glance, thinking that this was either bogus or that the boss wanted something extra. After a few moments of silent debate, they begrudgingly allowed Carmelita into the east wing.

There was the sound of tapping keys, Carmelita took out her Binocucom in the isolation of the east wing. "This is Foxtrot, I've entered the east wing. Report Wizard, Hammer." 

_"Waiting outside, like the last past hour...Dang I'm bored."_

_"Whuh? Oh right, Wizard here. Just one more and...Voila! Power will shut off in 3...2...1."_

The lights began shutting down one by one, followed shortly by any security lasers. 

"Nice work Wizard, that rock has to be around here somewhere..." Un-holstering her Shock Pistol, Carmelita began stalking the darkened halls. There was some guards in the eastern wing, though they didn't notice Carmelita. 

Her footsteps were quiet, and many of them were more curious about the racket coming from the central wing.

With the guards distracted, Carmelita looked through the darkened exhibits and found the rock from Bentley's plan. It was about the size of her fist, having S.C carved into it roughly.

Looking around, Carmelita sent Bentley a picture of the rock.

_"Nice work Foxtrot! I'll be down in a second, you just get to Hammer."_

Doing just that, Carmelita snuck out in the ensuing confusion. The Cooper Van...Or rather, the Carter Delivery Van, considering the blue and white were replaced with brown and black...Temporarily.

Taking the seat next to Murray, the Inspector let out a breath and reclined the seat back. 

The two sat in silence as Bentley traversed the darkened museum, leaving the two in an awkward situation until Murray broke the ice.

"So I heard you follow wrestling?" Nodding, Murray continued to where he was going. "Wanna hear a secret about Flanagan?" Carmelita's interest was peaked as the hippo gave a detailed description of how Flanagan took him out partying in Dublin.

"No way."

"Yes way, said that if he couldn't fight me, he'd party with me." His last night in Ireland was a bit of a blur, but he remembers arm wrestling Flanagan and snapping the table in half. "Neither of us won that, but on the bright side Flanagan welcomed me back anytime." Ferocious Feline Flanagan, two-hundred and ten pounds, about Murray's height, and all that as a Cymric Heavyweight.

"You _have_ to get me a ticket to that match up, after this is all over." 

Smiling, Murry gave a thumbs up. "You'll be the first one after Bentley And if we pull this off, you get shotgun privileges for a month, no! A year!" 

"...I think I'd like that." 

There was a crash as Bentley got on the horn, sounding like he was rolling his wheels as fast as his arms could roll. _"This is Wizard! I have recovered the rock Where are you guys?"_ Murray switched the van into high gear, driving to where his sharp minded comrade was moving towards. Flipping the side door open, Bentley near leapt into the back of the van with heavy breaths.

"Step on it Murray, metal to the pedal- We're leaving!" Placing the rock into the time machine, Bentley shut the door just as guards began firing at the van. Murray floored it, jumping from zero to sixty.

A swirl of familiar blue electricity appeared around the van, and soon it disappeared in a trail of flame.

* * *

We hit the required speeds necessary for time travel, and in a flash, we had appeared in Ancient Egypt, exactly 1296 BC. The van had crashed into a sand dune just outside of Slytunkhamen's City of Pharaohs, but when we appeared, things were far different than we hoped for them to be.

Slytunkhamen I, the proud father of Slytunkhamen II, had died at sixty-three years old. His son and grandson, Slytunkhamen II and III, the twenty-four year old heir to the throne and his six year old son were missing. But the strangest thing was the fact that the City of Pharaohs looked more like a fortress, not the noble city it was known as in regular history.

With the True Pharaoh and his son missing, and our best friend possibly in the middle of it all, we knew what we had to do.

We needed to get to the bottom of this, it was time for the Cooper Gang to do some work.

* * *

**Bentley,**

**And The Gang In...**

_**Pyramid Scheme** _

* * *


	3. PS - Gaze Upon His Mighty Works

The skies above the City of Pharaohs was clear, shining bright blue as the gang hid in the back of the Cooper Van. While their landing was...Less than gentle, they managed to hide behind a sand dune just outside of the city. Carmelita was checking the charge on her Shock Pistol, Bentley was tapping away at the keys of his laptop and trying to contact Dmitri. As for Murray, he was currently sitting in the front of the Cooper Van, listening to some good old fashioned rock n' roll. 

"Well this is a predicament, Sly's Binocucom isn't showing up on my scanners." Shutting his laptop, Bentley began rubbing his chin, deep in thought. Turning his head to the Inspector, the terrapin had an idea.

"Inspector Fox, you said that Shock Tether was capable of grappling?"

Nodding, Carmelita raised her Shock Pistol. "Yeah, I can grapple any hooked points." Raising an eyebrow in confusion, Bentley began explaining his plan for the Inspector and her Shock Pistol.

She needed to explore the City of Pharaohs, take pictures of things or people that didn't belong there. 

"You want me, of all people, to do recon." It wasn't framed as a question, rather a simple summary of Bentley's plan. "I don't know if you noticed, but stealth isn't exactly my forte."

"You did decent in the Hazard Room," Earning a quick glare, Bentley raised a hand. "You'll be fine as long as you stick to the rooftops, most of the guards seem preoccupied." Deciding it was better than arguing her case, the Inspector got out of the van...and was immediately hit by a heavy blast of wind. "Oh! And be careful, the desert is notorious for getting travelers lost." 

Making her way to the city's southern wall, Carmelita noticed that there wasn't any way inside. At least, upon first glance. But as she stared at it longer, there seemed to be small, metal hooks embedded in the wall. 

But why?

Deciding its better to shoot first, ask later, Carmelita fired her shock tether at the hook. 

Hearing the tether secure itself with a _clink_ , the Inspector held on tightly as the wire retracted. Disconnecting at the last second, she landed at the top of the wall without surprising any guards.

The City of Pharaohs actually looked quite lovely from the wall, save for the massive eyesore of a temple at the center, and the four towers at each corner of the city's wall. Besides the towers, there wasn't anything too notable about an Ancient Egyptian City.

Well, beyond the crocodiles patrolling the streets with lanterns.

They were carrying large staffs, and they seemed to be less alert than usual. _"Wow, the Pharaoh's Royal Guard...But where's the Pharaoh?"_ Snapping a quick picture of the flashlight- Er, Lantern Guard, Carmelita began to explore the city from the rooftops. 

It was amazing, the stone buildings and rope walkways forming a large maze. Sly would've loved to play around here, running above the people, hiding from guards after stealing their treasures...

 _"Carmelita! I'm getting strange readings from those towers."_ Snapping from her thoughts, Carmelita found one of the towers at the Northwestern Corner of the golden city. It was three stories tall, bereft of any windows, and automated flashlight turrets were scanning the area outside of the wall. At the front of the tower rested a large, double-iron door with a golden lock.

"Modern tech...Yet ancient security, but why?"

 _"I don't know, but try to get a picture of each tower They might be a threat to our operations."_ Grumbling under her breath, Carmelita noticed that each tower was the same. They were built upon the old guard houses, and as such must've housed the guards.

Exploring the rest of the city, there seemed to be a rundown building next to the gaudy, impractical temple which bore eagles on banners and a wolf...Wait a minute, wolves weren't around Ancient Egypt, right? Wild hounds, definitely, but no such thing as wolves...Right?

"Bentley."

There was the sound of eating on the other end, and it was hurriedly devoured. _"Hrm? Roh- Yeah Carmelita?"_

"Quick question, did wolves exist in Ancient Egypt?"

 _"Uh...Lemme check, it's been a while since I looked up the Life of Egypt."_ Typing it in the turtle answered in a few moments. _"Ah yes, the Golden Egyptian Wolf, why?"_ Snapping a quick picture, the Inspector sent it to Bentley. It was a picture of the temple's front doors, golden and having some of the most gaudy and shining gems placed above it. _"My eyes burn just from looking at that, e-gads who greenlit this?"_

Snapping another picture, this time of both the temple, and the rundown building beside it. 

Putting her Binocucom away, Carmelita noticed a way up to the top floor of the temple. Various ridges she'd need to shuffle along, various hooks holding banners, and even a window for her to crawl in.

...It was a tempting thing.

"Hm..." Planning her way up, the Inspector heard a crackle as Bentley tried to reach her Binocucom. 

_"I know that sound Carmelita, trying to get into the temple at this stage would be inadvisable without prior recon."_ Rolling her eyes, the fox wished that she could find Sly _now_ instead of kicking up dust! There was the clicking of computer keys and an inquisitive _'hmmmm',_ but Bentley seemed to have found something worth looking at.

_"Okay, we might have to take a peek in there after all but **only** a peek, there's some strange readings going on at the top floor." _

Hiding a small grin, Carmelita leapt to the first ridge, landing with a small thud and a cloud of dust. The ridge seemed to go around the temple, but only around one corner but only at alternating levels. There were a few hooks bearing banners of a wolf and a hawk, and she used the Shock Tether to swing from hook to hook, knocking down banners on her way there. 

The Inspector's path wrapped around the building, stopping when she got to the balcony of the top floor. There was a window of what Bentley identified as 'Desert Glass', which was a deep, nearly opaque gold color. There was a familiar, wolf-shaped figure behind it. Any other details were muddled by the glass, no doubt blocking any intruders from getting a good look inside.

 _"I ask of you, why do all of this? Why do **any** of this?!" _The wolf figure was arguing with someone, and their voice sounded oddly familiar to Carmelita.

The next figure to speak didn't surprise her, considering she knew that Penelope was behind this. _"Because Augustine, if I can't cut the last branch of Cooper's family tree in the present; I'll simply uproot the entire tree."_ Penelope's voice was calm, almost surgical in tone. _"Though it is a shame Cooper lost one of his eyes during capture, I wanted him to have both as I stomped out the Coopers And his Gang... **Forever."**_

 _"Miss Knightly, you absolute no-good, dirty **rat!** If I knew your intentions when you contacted me, I would've-"_ There was a shocking noise as Nero's figure shook.

Penelope seemed more annoyed than anything, and she retorted with a simple if chilling line. _"You know, I could've hired your rival Alcroft O'Hara. She wouldn't have your reservations, she'd be downright excited for it."_

Nero seemed to groan in a mixture of anger and regret, but seemed to be cowed for now. _"...Stop, please. I'll have Cooper to you...Once Slytunkhamen II is found by the guards...Just, no more..."_ Before Carmelita left, having almost all the information she needed, the Archaeologist revealed something important. _"I just need to check the dungeons beneath the temple, that blasted owl should be done interrogating Sly."_

Jumping down the temple, Carmelita made a promise to put Penelope in the deepest darkest hole possible.

* * *

_**Job Complete!** _


	4. PS - Slideshow 1

The van was cramped, dark, yet the air conditioning made the environment somewhat more bearable. Bentley had set up a rough presentation, and the other two members of the Cooper Gang waited for his cue.

"Alright, we know Sly is somewhere beneath the palace, and that Slytunkhamen the Second is still at large." A picture of Sly appeared, followed quickly by a picture of an Egyptian painting of Slytunkhamen II and his son.

"From what we gathered, Slytunkhamen could be anywhere He may not be disguised, but word was that he was the second greatest user of the Shadow Power." 

More pictures appeared, showing Sly using the power. "Sly managed to learn how to use it in China, but he was a novice compared to the legends written about the Slytunkhamen family." 

Ancient texts appeared, taken from the Thievius Raccoonus. They were helpfully translated by Cooper's ancestors, showing that the family line was well known for their stealth skills.

Some say they could steal the crown from a corrupt nobleman as he was wearing it, others were how they ruled as a just and wise leader.

Carmelita found herself intrigued A Cooper in charge of a kingdom? She hadn't much time to read up on the Coopers beyond the one's she met, but one that actually held the right to rule? It was...Strange, but she kept quiet out of curiosity.

"If we're going to get a chance to find Sly, we're most likely going to need Slytunkhamen II." The picture swapped out for one of the security towers, showing a lantern guard outside of it. "However, these towers need to go before we do anything too big."

Pictures of security turrets flashed, showing off spotlights and heavily armed guards on the rooftops...Looking suspiciously like the guards seen at the museum.

Bentley made plans for how he'd take care of it. "While normally I'd have Sly go in, I'll be going in his place...and hopefully, I can snag a few things on my way out."

Switching gears, the turtle showed off the abandoned building near the temple.

"Carmelita, you and Murray are gonna have to do some investigation." The building in question had a bright, blue flag tied to a twisted old wooden pole on the rooftop. "I have a sneaking suspicion this is where Slytunkhamen is hiding."

With their jobs noted, it was time to set the board.


	5. PS - The Missing King

**Job 1 - The Missing King**

**Murray & Carmelita**

**Ancient Egypt Operation - Day 1**

* * *

...

Carmelita and Murray were quick to make their way to the abandoned building, standing just outside of it. It was early morning, where most guards were asleep or otherwise preoccupied. The sun was barely above the horizon, mixing the sky in a blot of violet and red. The Inspector was tempted to take a picture of the horizon, but their job right now was to find the rightful ruler of this land.

Cracking his knuckles, the hippo was ready to find his little buddy's great to the nth gramps. "You ready to find Slytunkhamen...Er, the Second?" 

"I've been chasing after Cooper for years, can't be too hard finding his ancestor." Quietly (Or as quietly as a fox and a hippo could) sneaking across the street, Murray knocked on the door. The rotten door fell over with a heavy thud, probably alerting every guard within a large radius.

Giving a shy smile, Murray let Carmelita go first.

The inside of the building was just like the outside, rundown, somewhat dusty, and there was a few pieces of old treasures. Before they could move any further, Bentley piped up on their binocucoms. Keeping a close eye out for any guards, the turtle began rattling off a list of what they could expect from something within the Missing King's Hideout.

 _"If memory serves, Slytunkhamen II's hideout was an old jewelry shop."_ Bentley noted as Murray placed the door back into its position. _"Back in the day, a jeweler would keep all sorts of hidden compartments and booby traps scattered around their shop usually at night."_ A few schematics popped up, ranging from a simple rope trap that'd ensnare a person to an elaborate light based system that would blind anyone who tripped it. _"In fact, most security systems have roots here, if you'd like I have a book or two on the History of Security Signed **and** Limited Edition!"_

"Maybe later little buddy Right now, we've got to find our buddy's great great...Uh, how many greats should I put there?" Murray questioned, scratching the back of his head in thought. He shook it off after a few moments, deciding that it wasn't important. "Never mind that, let's find this missing king and bust this whole place wide open!" 

The inside of the shop was barren, a few dust covered coins, a small counter for the sale of jewels, and a dirty brown rug on the floor. 

Carmelita pulled out her binocucom while Murray looked around, thinking that there wasn't much to be found. "Are you sure this is the place Bentley? All I see is dust and a dirty rug." Bentley grumbled quietly to himself as he checked his notes, seeing if Slytunkhamen II had any maps or otherwise in the book his father had started ages ago. Meanwhile, Murray picked up the few coins on the ground. They weren't worth much here, but back in the present they might fetch a small fortune on the archaeological market. Bentley piped up after a few moments, nearly startling Carmelita with his voice breaking the silence.

_"I may have an answer! Check under the rug."_

Doing as the turtle said, the Inspector pulled up the old brown rug...And nearly recoiled in disgust when it fell apart. But beneath that scrap of rug and dust was a wooden hatch, which Carmelita pulled open. A sudden gust of dry air hit her in the face, knocking dust everywhere and nearly giving her a sneezing fit. It was narrowly avoided, and the opened hatch revealed a ladder going down towards the darkness. 

Dropping into the darkness with grace, Carmelita made sure the area was clear, lighting up the shadows with a flashlight. 

Murray prepared to drop down after the Inspector, a smile on his face. "Look out Inspector Fox, _The Murray_ rains from above!" He dropped down from the jewelry shop above, and landed with an earth rumbling _ka-boom._ The rumbling lasted for a brief moment, but it appeared to alert the guards outside. With no time to close the hatch above, the fox and hippo duo began moving down the darkened cave, hoping that they'd be able to find Slytunkhamen II and III.

Their path quickly diverged into two, and judging by the torchlight growing brighter behind them, the duo didn't have much time.

"Bentley there's two paths, and I don't want to be that kind of guy but...Can you hurry up?" 

There was the sound of papers being flipped, and just as the guards were on their heels, Bentley pulled through.

 _"You'll need to head down the right path, then follow the right hand wall until you hit a statue of Ra!"_ Doing as the turtle said, Carmelita and Murray followed the darkened path for a while, with only Carmelita's flashlight providing any meaningful light. Bentley tried to chime in, but it came through choppy and broken. _"Guys! I'm gonna Signal's losing ~~"~~ _With Bentley unable to contact them, the two were on their own.

They kept walking...

...And walking...

_...and walking._

The silence was unbearable, so the Inspector decided to break it. "So what happened with the Star of Egypt?" Murray's face seemed to beam with a flash of pride, the Hippo excited to explain what happened.

"Oh that was my favorite heist...Before Sly disappeared." Taking a moment to focus, Murray silently promised to find his buddy. "Okay, Star of Egypt, twenty five pounds of desert glass, hand carved in...I'd say 17th Century?" Murray may have had more of a knack for vehicles and fighting, but he knew good craftsmanship when he saw it. "It was taken by some group called the Big Shots, and you won't believe what I had to do for it." 

"What'd you do?"

Murray chuckled with a grin growing on his face, mirth evident. "I hid inside of a cake, in North Carolina Heat." The thought of being cooped up in a hot, stuffy cake was uncomfortable, but the mental image of Murray, prepared to jump out at the word 'go', was amusing. 

"When I heard Sly say 'Murray, bring the heat', I popped out of the cake like a bottle rocket on the 4th of July." That's when Carmelita began chuckling, Murray bursting out of a cake to sucker punch any unlucky goons, not something you see every day. "Yeah, Sly and Bentley could barely stop laughing long enough to complete the heist, but somehow we got the star back to Egypt."

The two of them were so engrossed with their conversation that they almost missed the statue of Ra.

Finding the statue, Carmelita and Murray found themselves in a semi-circular room. The statue was in the center, the features were impeccable, probably preserved by being in this hidden room.

"I don't see anything around here other than that statue...Carmelita, what do you see with your Inspector eyes?"

"I don't have robo-eyes Murray...But that right arm looks a bit off." Pointing it out, the right arm of the statue was askew compared to the left. "Let me on your shoulders, maybe it's a lever."

Doing as the Inspector said, Murray let the fox stand on his shoulders, just a few centimeters below the statue's head. "Just be careful Carmelita, if it's a trap we might not have enough time to hoof it." Taking the right arm with both hands, Carmelita forced it up slightly, directly parallel to its counterpart. There was the sound of stone grinding on stone, and a hidden door opened behind the statue.

Dropping from Murray's back, Carmelita was prepared to either meet Slytunkhamen II, or shoot something down with her Shock Pistol.

What she got instead was almost like a ghost.

Slytunkhamen II looked eerily similar to Sly, without the mask and thief get up. Two black circles were around his brown eyes, a golden necklace around his neck, and he was dressed as royalty. Two, khopesh-like Canes were at his side, and he seemed surprised to see the two of them.

"Who are you, are you ally, or are you foe?"

Murray waved, showing no sign of hostility. Carmelita did the same, though she took some time to explain why she was here. "I'm looking for...Someone close to me, someone you're related to." Rummaging around her pockets, she pulled out a picture of Sly. It was a picture from France, where the Cooper was wearing his iconic blue sweater and cap. Slytunkhamen II nodded, before going to the back of the room. There was a brown chest and a small, brown bundle laying next to it. It took the Pharaoh a few moments to rummage through the chest before he found what he was looking for.

"Yes I did meet your dear friend Sly, he appeared when my father was on his deathbed." Slytunkhamen II revealed a black wrapped bundle. "After he was captured, I managed to retrieve one of his most prized possessions." Unraveling the black cloth, Sly's Cane was just beneath the folds. "I suppose you're here to ask me for aid?"

"I will help you," Wrapping the cane back up, Slytunkhamen gave it to Carmelita. "Let me just grab my son, and I shall join you." 

Turning around, the Pharaoh gingerly picked up the brown bundle, revealing a child no higher than Slytunkhamen's knee. The boy looked to have a bright brown shade compared to his father's darker fur, and the group of them began to make their way back to the van.

_~~~~ _

_**Job Complete!** _

_**...** _

_**Bentley POV** _

~~__ ~~

Slytunkhamen II came with us willingly, and he painted a grim picture. Sly appeared just days before Slytunkhamen I's death, dazed, confused, but alive. It was then that our ancient companion brought something else to us, only mere hours after Slytunkhamen I had passed away, soldiers clad in strange, metallic armor started showing up in the City of Pharaohs. That's when a strange wolf named Nero began taking over the city, with his benefactor Penelope supplying him with troops and technology.

It wasn't long before the troopers barged into the City, having bought out the local guards into joining them. It was pandemonium, with people deserting their businesses and homes, save for a few stubborn merchants and thieves.

When the guards came for Slytunkhamen II and his son, Sly managed to draw them away long enough for the Pharaoh to use his old sanctuary.

With the fires of motivation stoked once more, I began to draft up another plan. First things first, if we had a snowball's chance in a nuclear reactor, we'd need to take out the four guard towers. I'd have to bomb the support beams, get out before the whole thing collapses, and then move onto the second stage - Finding a way to free Sly.

I just hope he's okay.


	6. PS - Trembling Towers

The inside of the Cooper Van seemed a bit livelier, thanks to the arrival of Slytunkhamen II and his son. Carmelita was currently replacing the power cell in her Shock Pistol, thinking she needed to keep her gear in ship shape. Bentley was revising the plan, tapping away at his computer. Slytunkhamen II was busy looking around the van, thinking that the entire thing was magic. His son was similar, sitting up front with Murray asking all sorts of questions.

It didn't take long for Bentley to add Slytunkhamen to the plan, and he was quick to explain it.

"Alright, part of our plan remains unchanged." He dimmed the lights in the van and pulled up a projector, momentarily impressing the Pharaoh and his son. "I'll take care of the guardhouses," The turtle showed pictures of the four towers, along with a small schematic of the City of Pharaohs. "If my research was correct, each guardhouse sits on unstable sand with four support beams keeping it from sinking into the depths below." 

Switching to a picture of the support beams, Bentley doodled himself deploying the bombs. "Thanks to the unstable sand below the towers, should I remove the support beams from the equation..." Crossing out each picture, he drew an arrow pointing down on the guardhouses. "They'll sink below the desert dunes, and we'll be free to snag Sly

Changing pictures again, this time to Slytunkhamen II and Carmelita, Bentley began explaining their part of the plan.

"Carmelita, Pharaoh, your job is to break into Nero Augustine's palace and find Sly _after_ I destroy the towers." 

The palace looked just as gaudy in pictures as it did in the stonework, but the man behind it was just Penelope's pawn. "You two will have to sneak in from behind, bust in, and find Sly." It sounded easier said than done, but the two were ready to bust Sly out of Penelope's clutches. "Once you have Sly, hightail it out of there and get him to the van, ASAP. We don't know what's been done to him, and I hope he can hang on a bit longer."

"And what's my job Bentley?" Murray cracked his knuckles, looking for some action.

"You'll be looking after Slytunkhamen III, which I know isn't an exciting job"

"Are you kidding?" Murray laughed, shaking the van slightly. "Looking after Little Pharaoh is gonna be fun! Right little buddy?" The prince nodded furiously, excited that he could spend some time with _The Murray._ With everything prepared, Bentley shut off the projector and slowly let the light return to the van.

It was time to get Sly back.

_**_______________________________________________** _

_**....** _

_**The Trembling Towers** _

_**Bentley** _

_**....** _

_**_______________________________________________** _

Bentley wheeled himself to the first tower, located in the Northeast. It was somehow slapdash and hamfisted together, but the building would still be a problem. It housed guards, technology, and possibly some sort of trump card should Nero fail...Which considering the Cooper Gang was here, there was a high probability of failing.

Clicking his binocucom, Bentley pinged Murray.

 _"How's it hanging Bentley?"_ Murray answered with all the joy he could, almost giddy at the thought of destroying those towers. 

"I'm fine, just trying to psyche myself up for this." Double checking his supplies, Bentley chuckled as he pulled out a silver sphere with red lights blinking all around its dull surface. "It's been a while since I've done some demolition work, think I still got it?"

Murray's answer was a welcome one. _"Duh! Of course you do. To drop bombs, tap the triangle button. To hold a bomb, hold down the triangle button."_ The hippo had a few more tips, just to make sure Bentley didn't blow himself to tiny turtle bits. _"If you want to throw a bomb, press the **[L1]** button, and when you want to throw a bomb - Tap the Triangle Button when you have a target." _

"Thanks Murray."

_"No problem - And hey! Chin up little buddy, we're getting Sly back today."_

Chuckling, Bentley made sure his satchel of bombs and sleep darts were ready.

Going through the front door, Bentley noticed a black cat and jackal standing just a few feet in front of him. Quickly whipping out his sleep dart launcher, Bentley quickly incapacitated them and left them behind. They wouldn't be much of a problem, and they didn't see him wheel in.

The rest of the guards were just as easy to take out, darts, a quick whack or two from his wheelchair, and a bomb.

Wheeling further, he found a hole leading down into the basement. Dropping down, Bentley found himself landing on a bouncy cushion with an _'oomph'._ There was a beep from his binocucom, showing Murray once more.

 _"So you're in the basement, right?"_ Murray was currently overlooking the small book Bentley left him, showing the guardhouse blueprints. _"Okay, I know you have to blow the support beams, but watch out Once you blow one away, the ceiling is gonna start dropping like hail."_

"You don't have to tell me twice," Bentley wheeled himself forward - Though he had to put a bit more force into it. "And this sand is making Hades on my wheels." 

Taking out one of his bombs, the turtle primed it before throwing it on the first support beam. He whipped out his keyboard and tapped away, detonating the bomb and destroying the wooden support beam. The lower half of the beam outright disintegrated, with the rest of it coming down in a hail of wood shards and flying splinters.

With one support beam gone, the ceiling cracked and pieces of it began falling down. They were small, but still just as dangerous as the rocks from the bridge in Rajan's ancestral palace. 

"One down! Three more to go!" 

It was a race against time, as when he bombed the second pillar, larger chunks of the ceiling tiles came down like meteors. They would definitely hurt more than the smaller fragments, heck, they might even crush him outright.

"Two down...Murray, what's the situation up top?" Throwing another bomb, it landed just a hair's breadth from the third support beam. Close enough to destroy it, and there was only one more to go.

 _"Nothing yet, and Carmelita just pinged me that she found a backdoor."_ Thanking Murray, Bentley got back to the task at hand. Picking a bomb, the terrapin genius destroyed the last pillar with ease. Now just came the hard part - Escaping from this place before it sunk into the desert, and he became some exhibit at the Egyptian Museum.

Hopping up to the main level, Bentley went unnoticed by the panicking guards. One particularly large crocodile was busy carrying two others out of the building, while others were scrambling for the exits. Passing ever guard, Bentley rocketed out of the entrance before swerving slightly to avoid hitting the building opposite of the guardhouse.

Straightening his glasses, Bentley felt that could've gone a _lot_ worse. Next time, he's setting charges _then_ retreating to a safe distance.

_"Bentley you okay? Your heart's beating pretty fast."_

Quickly answering his friend, Bentley took deep breaths in between his words. "Fine...Just fine...A little...Winded." Coughing a bit, the turtle began to roll his way towards the next tower - The Northwest Tower. It went down just like the Northeast Tower, bomb the supports, drop it into the sand beneath the Pharaoh's City. It was as simple as figuring out _X_ in Second Year Geometry.

It was the Southeast Tower when thing's got difficult.

First thing he noticed was that something was off, this tower was loaded with boxes marked **'C-TEX: HANDLE WITH CARE'**. They were stacked with perfect care, with little cushions to keep the boxes separated. The second thing was when he dropped down to the basement level, where the support beams were reinforced with steel and concrete.

"Hmm, this is a problem..." His explosives were plenty strong to destroy thin steel supports and concrete, but when there's both...There's a reason he enlisted the use of a Cherry Bomb-5000 in India.

Bouncing back up to the main floor, Bentley decided to take a look at what this 'C-TEX' was.

Cracking open a box with his chair's mechanical arms, Bentley cocked his head when he found steel cylinders with red bands at the end. Taking one, he read the note attached to it. 

_'Compact Thermal Explosive - HANDLE WITH CARE'_

"Oh dear Penelope, it seems you've left behind the _perfect_ tool for the job." With a grin, Bentley loaded eight C-TEX Cylinders in his satchel. Dropping down to the basement, Bentley carefully planted a generous amount of C-TEX per pillar. Two for each, which would've been more than enough to completely level the reinforced support beams.

Jumping back up to the first floor, Bentley nabbed a few more pieces of C-TEX before leaving. 

He was kind of surprised at how light they were. They looked to weigh about four pounds just for one, silver cylinder with red lights on the end. But in reality, both felt like they weighed about a pound each. It was both impressive and terrifying Penelope developed this, because who knew what sort of diabolical machines she's created in the time they've been apart.

Once the turtle felt that he was at a safe distance, he detonated the C-TEX. The earth shook, guards that were nearby or on buidlings adjacent to the guardhouse were knocked off their feet, and the whole building went up in a pillar of smoke and fire.

Murray's voice appeared moments later, calling as if he was in a panic. _"Bentley! Are you alright? I heard that all the way from the van!"_

"I'm fine Murray...Just how much power is in one of these things?" Taking a moment to inspect the cylinder, he was surprised to see that the explosive yield was about double what his bombs could do. Maybe he'd take a few more of these for...Research purposes, mostly to see what made this bomb tick.

Moving to the fourth and final tower, Bentley blew down the door, rolling in through the smoke with dart gun ready...Only to find this guardhouse empty. The outside was just like the others, yet the inside matched a warehouse. Boxes of all shapes and sizes were stacked up haphazardly, metal bars were placed on top of them. Some boxes were marked **'MATERIAL FOR PROJECT ROLLING THUNDER',** others were left with only barcodes to identify them. Keeping them in his mind, Bentley began to look around for the basement.

It was harder to get to the support beams, having to bob and weave through boxes and possibility of guards. But once he had placed every piece of C-TEX he had on the support beams, he was out of there faster than you could recite Pi. 

Setting them off, he looked at the rising smoke with a small smile.

 _"That_ , Penelope, was for Sly." Bentley stated, turning to wheel away as he heard the alarms sound.

_**__________________________________** _

_**...** _

_**Job Complete!** _

_**...** _

_**__________________________________** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY, allergies, several different ideas coming and going, plus a cold have stifled my muse for a long while. But I'm back, and the next chapter is coming soon (ish)


End file.
